Tamil Nadu History NCERT Chap-15 Class 11

Chapter 15

Early medieval India


Rise of Rajputs(7^th cent to Islamic invasion):
--Death of Harshavardhana (Pushybhuti Dynasty)
--Rise of number of small kingdoms = Kashmir, Gandhara, Sindh, Punjab, Gujrat, Kanauj, Ajmer, Malwa, Bengal and Assam.
--Disputes :
            --Pala of Bengal were supreme till Pratihar(Rajput) became strong.
            --Pratihar fought Palas and Rashtrakuta simultaneously .
            --Rajasekhara = an eminent Sanskrit poet+Dramatist+Critic = Wrote Kavyamimasa(about what makes a good poem)= Belongs to Gurjara Pratihara.
           --Kashmir powerful till 8^th cent AD
--Gurjara Pratihar = 1^st Rajput à Harishchandra = famus ruler
                --1 branch of Gurjara= Gujarat; 2^nd branch = Avanthi(MP).
--Chouhan  ==Occupied Delhi = suffered from muslim invasion most.
--Paramar ===Bhoja was imp king.

Arab conquest of Sind(712 AD):
--Islam founder = Prophet Mohammad born=Mecca.
--Mohammad’s teaching = irked rich people à therefor migrated to =Medina(622 AD).
--therefore 622AD = start of Muslim calendar=Hijra.
--He returned to Mecca(620 AD) à died(632AD)

--His followers set empire= called Caliphate and the ruler= Caliph(religious head as king à weakened when turkish governor sought independence ==↑Turkish rule = ↓ Caliph
--Umayyad(? - 750AD) à Abbasid(750 AD---900 AD) à(Turkish rule(governor under caliph =independance=caliph weakend)
--Caliphate: Ruled by conquest and expansion
--Umayyad à commander Muhhamad bin Qasim à invaded Sindh à Dahir was defeated and killed.
--Capital of Sindh= Aror captured à further conquest till Multan.
--Further expansion was limited by powerful Pratihara kingdom.
--Md bin Qasim was called back by Caliphs.

Conquest of Muhammad bin Qasim

--Impact of Sindh invasion:
                --people were call Zimmis(the protected) by Qasim.
                --No interference in Live and property of the people.
                --Sindh à Cultural diffusion centre
                                   Indian tradition + astronomy + medicine + literature + Arabic no present form spread to west.

Mahmud of Ghazni(900 +  - 1030 AD):
--Turkish governor
--allegedly = 17 raid in india
--Purpose = to plunder rich temple
--temples = holy city Mathura, kanauj, Somnath(solanki ruller) à then returned from desert of sindh.
--established an  empire= East(Punjab) + West(Caspian sea) + North(Samarkand=Ujbekistan) +South(Gujrat)
                       

Conquest of Mahmud of Ghajni

--Impact of Ghazni(Turkish) invasion:
                     --Ghazni included Punjab+Afganistan+Gujrat in his kingdom à india=defenceless.
                     --Looting India’s wealth + Rajput defeated(only defence) + western frontier included in his empire ====INDIA now vulnerable ===foreign attacks of Afghan and Turks.

--other impact of Ghazni(Turkish):
                     --Patronized art and Literature
                     --Firsousi à A court poet à wrote Shah nama
                     --Alberuni à wrote Kitab-i-Hind
                   
                   Al biruni:
                  --Born = 973 AD in Ujbekistan
                  --When Ghazni captured Samarkand(Ujbekistan) à brought scholars with him
                  --Al burini = one the scholar
                  --Language= syriac, Arabic,Persian,Hebrew and Sanskrit.(didn’t knew greek= was familiar with greek works=plato etc)
                  --sanskrit works= Astronomy, maths,medicine = already familiar= Sindh annexation by Muhmud of Ghazni.
                 --Kitab-ul-Hind:
                 --Language= Arabic
                 --Chapter=80
                 --Content= religion, philosophy,astronomy,alchemy,manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, law and metrology.
                 --Format:
                            distinct in every chap.
                            --every chap starts with question
                            --body =descriptive like Sanskrit tradition
                            --end= caparison with other cultures
                            --such a geometric format of writing = influenced by his being maths
                  
                       --critical of ways in which Indian text were written.
                      --According to al burini 3 major barriers to understand Indian society
                         (1)Sanskrit diff from Arabic=ideas and concept can be exactly translated
                         (2)religion
                         (3)self absorption and ignorance of others tradition.
                     --He depended on Brahmans citing Gita, Veda,Manusmriti etc
        Case study: Kitab-ul-hind = Caste system
        comparative:
         Persia= 4 social category = 1)knights& Princes 2)monks 3)fire-priest 4)lawyers
         India=4 varna
         difference = Persia every man was equal à categorized by their beliefs
                                India = notion of pollution= some varna better then other
         conclusion= accepted the social division as its not new but rejected the notion of pollution by birth for entire life.   
Note: according to al burini caste system was not rigid ===Antyaja(born outside the social category) served both Zamindar and peasant===thus notion of pollution an untouchables was not rigid ===based on requirement of time.

             
 Muhammad ghori:
--a vessel of Mahmud Ghajni
--independence after death of Mahmud Ghajni(1030 AD)
--Muhammad ghori à expansion policyà invaded india=Multan(1175) + Punjab(1186AD)
--1^st Battle of Tarrain = Prithiraj chaouhan(winner)=leader of rajput confederacy got defeated
--2^nd Battle of Tarrain= Prithiraj(Looser) was offered to give up and accept islam= Prithvi denied= died
--Qutab-ud-din-Aibak  = general was left behind to rule.
--Qutab ud din Aibak = created ground = for battle of Chandawar(1193AD)=Kanauj occupied= defeated Jaichand
--Battle of Terrain + Battle of Chandawar ===TURKISH Rule in INDIA.

Reason for failure of Rajput:::
1)lack of UNITY
2)lack of organizational skill
3)out dated military methods= elephants were still usedà Muslims has fast moving Cavalry.
4)Muslims =religious Zeal + greed for Indian wealth
5)Indian= only Kshtriya were treated as fighter.
6)Rajputs=always defensive
7)had already exhausted by fighting each other.